Dispatches

How do the sections in Khe Sanh with Day Tripper and Mayhew differ from the rest of the narrative in terms of characterization and dialogue?

Throughout the narrative, Herr rarely tries to look at the war from a Vietnamese perspective. Why do you think Herr chooses to try and view the war from the perspective of a North Vietnamese soldier in the last paragraph of the book?

What were the factors that made the Vietnam War different from wars that the United States had previously been engaged in? What evidence of this can you find within the narrative itself?

Approximately 11,000 women from the U.S. military were stationed in Vietnam during the war. Why do you think the presence of U.S. female military personnel is rarely alluded to by Herr, and what effect does this have on the narrative?

At different points in the narrative, Herr and other characters make the connection between sex and war. What does Herr have to say about this, and do you agree?

Very little of Herr’s backstory is given. What effect does this have on how the reader experiences the narrative?

Herr mentions “mobility” throughout the narrative. How do the concepts of movement and being “frozen” factor into the combat troops’ thoughts on survival?

Much is made about how time is experienced by the combat troops. What evidence does Herr provide in the narrative that shows the hold that the concept of time has on the both the troops and the war correspondents?